Method and apparatus for purifying air



Sept. 8, 1925. 1,553,098

F. L. -NAPIER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AIR I Filed Feb. 25, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 I l |2 w bij x Sept. 8, 1925.

F. L. 'NAPIER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AIR Filed Feb. 25, 1924 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 Pafenfe'd sept. s, laas.v

' UNITI-:Dk STATES FRANK L. NAPIEB, F ST. JOSEPH,

muon AND Arrma'r'Us ron rumrvmenm.

Application led February 25, Serial No. 695,003.

' To all whom t may concern:

-Be it known that I, FRANK L.. Narren', a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. "Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods and Apparatus' for Purifying Air, of which the following is 's invention relates 'to methods of and apparatus for purifying air to kill the germs therein. y g In accordance with the invention, an electrio lamp, of the mercury vapor type, is em -loyed in position to project the'ultravio etl rays vthereof through a passing currentl of air, so that any germs in the air will'fbe killed or destroyed. Circulation of' the air through the apparatus is preferably accomplished by means of a fan or blower or other means for'artificially creating a v current of air past the position occupied by the ultra-violet ray lamp, whereby the motion of the air is sutioiently accelerated to accomplish the purification of the air uickly and in the desired manner. In addition, the electric lamp employed, and the vmethod employed, creates or produces a certain amount ofozone, as a sort of by product, so that the process not only de- 30 stroys the germs, but also revitalizes the air by the addition of more or less ozone thereto.

The object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a commercial method and apparatus for expeditiously and conveniently de stroying the germs in the supply of air, for houses, hospitals, oiiices and other; places where it is important to have pure air and where people are breathing the same air 4D-'over and over again, thereby to insure against injury from the breathing of impure air.

It is also an object to providecertain details and features of construction and com- 45, binations tending to increase the general eciency and the desirability 'of a method `and apparatus of this particular character,

To the-foregoing and other `useful ends, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and claimed, and 'shown in the accompanying drawings, in *whichf-f. Fig. 1 is a front elevatlon of an alr urij 'yingnapparatus embodying the princlples of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a. similar view',on a larger scale, 65 showing certain portions of the apparatus in section, thereby to bring into view certain interior portions thereof.

Fig. is a transverse section, on alarger, scale, on -1ine-3l3in Fig. 1 60 Fig.V 4 -is an end elevation of. the "said apparatus on the same'scale as'Fig. 2 of the drawings. v

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a box like bodyA 1 of sheet lmetal or 65 other material havinga lower* intake passage 2.and an upper outlet 3 for the purified -deflecting means are preferably in the form of removable members having handles 8 and 9, respectively, whereby these twoV members can be pulled dut and removed when such is necessary or desirable. An electric fan or blower 10 is provided within the body, 80

of any suitable character, Ain position to draw the air in through' the inlet '2 and forceit through the screen andv deflectin or agitating means within the body, an then out throughthe outlet 3 previously 85 mentioned. The screen 6 serves to break up the air and serves to take out some of the dust floating in the'air, and the obliquely arranged dellectors 7 produce a swirling motion of the air, so that the `air is agitated and turned over and over in the chamber 4,v before being discharged from the apparatus.

A lamp casing. is provided on the frontof the/chamber 4f, in the manner shown, and fa mercury vapor lamp 11 is provided in this 95 casing, this lamp having a vquartz bulb or bulb or other material-which .will allow tus shown and described has a `flat back 13v 4 which can be applied tothe wall of the room -in which the air is to be purified, and any' suitable means can be employed for thus supporting the apparatus agamst the wall.

I A rectifier 14 can be embodied in the -apparatus, of any suitable character, to convert i alternating current into, direct current for the. mercury vapor lamp. Current can be conducted to this rectifier, 'and to the motor x 15 of the fan 10, bv connections of any suit able or desired character.`

When the fan and lamp are operated, and when the apparatus is suitably positioned 1n the room in which the air for breathing pur-y poses is tol be purified, the ultra-violet rags t e of the lamp will be projected through swirling air in thechamberI 4, and will destroy t -the air. Particles'of dustupon which the germs are carried are turned over .and over,

so that all sides of the particles are exposed to the rays of the lamp, thus insuring complete destruction of all rms carried in the air. The power of t e lamp is suftlcient, with a lamp of suiiicient size and strength, to purify the air rapidly, notwithstanding that the air is being forced through the apparatus quite rapidly.v Thus the air in the rooml will be drawn through the apparatus quite rapidly, and will be d1soccupying the room, O

the a paratus.

' charged in a purified condition, so that pure air l'for breathing purposes is insured whereby the air may be breathed over an over again without danger to the' persons course, fresh air will be admitted to thev room, from time to time2 in accordance with the method of puric'ation'involved in the invention, but the airw confined in the room will not only be 4,5 puried by the apparatus and method shown and described, but will also be revitalized by the addition more-or less of ozone produced by -the rays of the lamp `thus projected through the current of air moving through oor 16 may be provided on the front of the chamber 5, 'to afford access to the motor and fan, or for other purposes. l

It will be seen therefore that the invention contemplates amethod of purifying the air for breathing urposes in a room by circulating the air t rough a passage or chamber wherein the passingor moving air is subjected to the action of the ultra-violet rays of a mercury vapor lam circulation being artificially maintained y` proper means, thereby to rapidly destroy the lgerms and purify the air, before the latter is dischargedback into the room for breathing purposes.

The invention contemplates suitable ape'germs which' may be iioating in' aratus, in a practical and commercial form, or practicin the process, but said apparatus may be o any suitable or desiredform, without departing from the spirit of the invention, inasmuch as the invention is not limited to the exact construction shown and described.v

Of course, the casing of the: apparatus and theAv enclosure for the lamp must made of material which will not permit passalge therethrough of the ultra-violet rays of t e light, as this -would endanger the sight of people in the room, and might cause other u It is well known that the ultratrouble. violet rays will pass through certaln materials, but will not pass through other materials, and the apparatus should be so constructed that the ultra-violet rays will act 'freely upon the germs carried' in the air passing through the apparatus, but'will not escape from the apparatus, and any suitable material can be employed for the box-like enclosure which will prevent the ultra-violet rays from passing through or. escaping outside of the apparatus.

What I claim as my invention is;

1. The method of -purifying air in a room for breathing purposes, comprising' the artificial circulation of the .air under confinement from the room and .through the apparatus and back into the room, and the subjection of the confined and moving air to the ultra-violet rays of a mercu vapor lam preventing any electrical disc argle throug the air passing said lamp, .t erebyto destroy germs in the circulating air, before discharging the air back into the room for breathing purposes.

2. The method as specified in claim 1, comprising the breaking u and deflecting and agitating of the air w ile passing in front o the lamp, thereby to insure turnin around vor turning over of the particles o germ laden dust and to insure the exposing of all the germs to the rays of the lamp.

i 3. The method as specified in claim 1, comprising the exerting of circulating pressure on the air in the path of circulation thereof, thereb to cause the air to pass the point of puri cation rapidly and continuously before being discharged back into the room.

no i

4. Apparatus for purifying air in a room for breathing purposes, Acomprising an intake and' anoutlet for the air, means intermediate said inlet and outlet to cause circulation of the air through the apparatus so that the air will be rapidly drawn' from theyl room and passed through said apparatus and `back into the room, and means inter-*- mediate of said inlet'and outlet in the foifm o f a mercury vapor lamp to` project ultraviolet rays throigh the passing air, prevent- 4ing any electric discharge through the air from said lamp, thereby to destroy the germs floating in the air, whereby the air will be discharged back into the room in a` purified condition for breathing purposes. f

5. A structure as specified in claim 4, said air circulating means comprising an electrically operated fan or blower disposed in position to draw the air in through said inlet and then force it out through said outlet.`

6. A structure as specied in claim 4, comprisin a screen through which the air is compe led to pass before being subjected to the action of said ultra-violet rays.

7. A structure as specified in claim 4, comprising means between said lamp and the said air circulating means to break up the current of air and cause germ laden particles of dust to revolve in a manner to expose all the germs to the action of said ra s.

8. A structure as specifiedl in claim 4, comprising air deiecting and agitating means to cause the turmng around and turning over of particles of germ laden dust while passing the position of said lamp, thereby tov insure exposure of all the germs to the action of said rays. v

9. A structure as specified in claim 4, in combination with an air screen between said lamp and the air circulating means, and air agitatin means betweenthe screen and the lamp, w ereby germ laden particles of dust are turned around or revolved to expose all lthe germs to the action of said rays.

parting to the air as it passes through the treatment chamber in front ofthe ultra-rayproducing means a .swirling action, for the purpose set forth. l 11. A self-contained apparatus for purifying air in a room foriv breathing purposes, consisting of a casing divided into two com-v partments by airfvswirling means, a. motordriven fan in one of said compartments arranged to drive air through the air-swirling means into theother compartment, means I for throwing violet-rays across this latter compartment while the air is in swirling motion, this latter compartment being provided with an upwardly-directed outlet for the treated air, said motor chamber being provided with an air-inlet at its bottom FRANK L. NAPIER. 

